As you know, kids do grow up and move on, so we can't keep the cast forever. Instead, we gave other kids a chance to become ZOOMers. We chose a mix of regular, everyday kids, and we tried to find kids you'll want to watch on TV. If you miss the old ZOOMers, don't worry! You can catch them throughout the year. You can find out more about what the old ZOOMers have been up to by visiting the Cast section of the site.

If you're interested in becoming a member of the ZOOMteam, check out the ZOOM Into Action section of the site for volunteering information and resources. That's where you'll find lots of tips on getting started. If you've already helped out in the community and just want to spread the word, you can submit your story directly through the site.

We have an entire ZOOMparty feature on the site that has the directions to lots of great party games, recipes and arts and crafts. That's where you'll also find links to ZOOMy party printables like invitations, a cake stencil and place cards. Plus, you you'll find the words to "Happy Birthday" in Ubbi Dubbi. Pubartuby Ubon!

To find out when ZOOM is on TV near you, go to the Today on ZOOM section of the site, tell us on which local station you watch ZOOM, and then voila!... your local ZOOM schedule including links to activities seen on the show! If you have any other questions about ZOOM broadcast times, we suggest you contact your local PBS station.

The last season of ZOOM was filmed during the summer of 2004 and we are not producing new episodes. As a result, we can't offer studio tours. But, you can take a virtual tour of the ZOOM studio in the Behind the Scenes section of the site. In addition, the Children's Museum in Boston is the proud home of a ZOOMzone. ZOOMzones are places in museums and other cool institutions around the USA with challenges and activities you've seen on ZOOM. For more information about ZOOMzones, visit the ZOOMzones section of the site.

To speak Ubbi Dubbi, just place "ub" before every vowel sound in a word. For example, "book bag" would become "bubook bubag." It takes some time to speak Ubbi Dubbi fluently, so keep practicing! For some extra assistance in ubbification, check out the Ubbi Dubbi Translator on the site.

The current ZOOM, which made its debut in January of 1999, is based on a show of the same name that aired on PBS from 1972 to 1981. The original ZOOM was based on a British program airing at the same time called "Why Don't You Turn Off the Television and Go Do Something Less Boring." The name ZOOM came from the idea that the show would ZOOM IN and OUT on the lives of kids the same age. The first proposal was for a show called ZOOM IN, ZOOM OUT, but the name was later shortened to ZOOM!

Each season there were seven ZOOMers and 77 people behind the scenes on the show. There are 29 people who've worked on the Web site. And now there are more than five million kids who've sent in their ideas! Whew! In other words, that's a lot of people!

To find out what the ZOOMers think about being on ZOOM, check out the cast home pages on the site. By all accounts, it's pretty dang fun. You can tell by flipping through the wacky Snaps in Behind the Scenes.